There were six ties and four lead changes at the outset of the game as visiting MVNU (15-9, 3-7 AMC South) held a slim 24-23 lead with 3:29 left in the first half.

Then, the host Lady Bears (22-2, 10-0 AMC South), who are ranked No. 8 in the latest NAIA Division II poll, closed the half on an 11-0 run as Shawnee State took a 34-24 lead to the locker room at the break. Jennifer Grandy and Mallory Albers both hit a three-pointer during the surge, and Kelly Wagner added three points of her own.

Freshman post Amanda Himes (left) led the Lady Cougars with 11 points and five rebounds off the bench in the first half. Freshman guard Lauren Johnson also contributed four points off the bench. MVNU shot just 30.3 percent from the field (10-for-33), 11.1 percent from three-point range (1-for-9), and made all three of its free throw attempts.

Albers paced the Lady Bears with nine points as she went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, while Becky Babione added eight points and 12 rebounds. Shawnee State shot 37.1 percent from the field (13-for-35), 40.0 percent from three-point range (4-for-10), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (4-for-6). The Lady Bears also held a 27-20 edge in rebounds including 12 on the offensive end.

The Lady Cougars opened the second half on a 16-8 run as MVNU closed the gap to 42-40 by the 14:40 mark. Junior guard Rachel Fiely led the surge with seven quick points.

After Shawnee State expanded the lead back to 50-41 with 9:54 to play, the Lady Cougars scored eight straight points to pull within 50-49 with 8:49 remaining. Fiely and freshman Kellie Jokela each nailed a three-pointer and Johnson added a layup.

The Lady Bears responded with a 12-0 run to take control of the game 62-49 with 5:10 left as Grandy scored five points and Alison Meyer added three points.

From that point on, MVNU could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way as Shawnee State held on for the 70-59 victory.

“We played a much closer game than the final score indicates,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. “The 11-0 run at the end of the half gave them a 10-point lead at the break. The second half was much the same - a game of runs - and they out-lasted us by making more plays. Beating a ranked team is a tough task. You really have to play well. We sputtered and went back and forth like a really good team and then an inexperienced team. We needed more consistency.”

“Amanda and Rachel led us in scoring and rebounding, while Lauren and Kellie each stepped up their game for us today,” Gregory added.

Himes posted a double-double off the bench for the Lady Cougars with a game-high 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Fiely (right) added 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and Johnson finished with nine points, four steals, and three assists. Jokela also scored eight points. MVNU shot 36.9 percent from the field (24-for-65), 33.3 percent from three-point range (7-for-21), and just 36.4 percent from the free throw line (4-for-11) including only 1-for-8 in the second half.

Babione led five Lady Bears in double figures with 15 points, 18 rebounds, and seven blocked shots. Wagner also posted a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, and Albers finished with 12 points. Grandy and Karen Diehl rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 and 11 points respectively. Shawnee State shot 43.3 percent from the field (26-for-60), 35.3 percent from three-point range (6-for-17), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (12-for-18). The Lady Bears also won the battle of the boards with a 45-38 rebounding advantage.

MVNU will return to action on Tuesday when the Lady Cougars will host Walsh University in another AMC South Division game that will start at 5:30 p.m. That game has been designated as “Think Pink Night” as all proceeds from tickets sales and donations will go towards cancer research. Pink t-shirts will be sold for $5 at the game and the first 100 people through the door will receive a free pink cupcake courtesy of The Pink Cupcake. There will be several other activities taking place during the course of the game that will include honoring cancer survivors and remembering those who have passed away from the disease. For more information, contact Jodi Bryant at (740) 392-6868 ext. 4352.